NCO employee wins national recognition

Megan Eash with Network of Community Options (Images provided by NCO)

Megan Eash named ANCOR DSP of the Year

For Megan Eash, “support” means finding a path to independence. When she noticed a client who is legally blind struggling to brew coffee, she saw an opportunity for innovation rather than an obstacle.

Eash worked alongside him to find a pod-style machine that eliminated the frustration of spilled grounds. Thanks to her patience and coaching, he’s now back to enjoying his morning coffee — made entirely by himself.

This is just one example of how Eash consistently goes above and beyond for her clients at Network of Community Options, Inc. It’s this level of dedication that earned her the title of 2026 National Direct Support Professional of the Year from ANCOR, the leading national association for community-based disability service providers.
Eash, a DSP with Network of Community Options, Inc., is part of the largest-ever class of DSP of the Year honorees, with 57 outstanding professionals being chosen from a record-breaking 544 nominations from around the country.

“NCO is so proud of Megan,” said NCO Executive Director Lisa Pinkston. “We are thrilled to celebrate her award, as it represents her incredible work. More importantly, we recognize that her dedication enables true community inclusion for the people we support. Megan’s supports are an example of the transformative power of community-based, person-centered supports and services. We’re grateful that ANCOR has recognized Megan with this national honor.”

Eash and the other 2026 honorees were recognized during an awards ceremony in Boston, Mass., on Thursday, April 23, during ANCOR Connect ’26, the association’s annual conference.

Since 2007, ANCOR’s annual DSP of the Year awards have recognized outstanding DSPs who deliver long-term services and supports to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). The awards celebrate the important role DSPs play in ensuring people with I/DD have what they need to thrive and be included in the community.

Pinkston described Eash as a “superstar,” saying she goes above and beyond for clients.

“She took one client and his wife to a conference for people with developmental disabilities across the state so they could have the unique opportunity to do something they would never get to do otherwise,” Pinkston said. “They got to meet new people and eat at new places and had an overall wonderful experience. Megan made sure they did not get overwhelmed or scared amongst the large crowd or on the long car ride there and back.”

NCO Waiver Director Kristin Wilson said Eash, who resides in Craighead County, finds ways to encourage and support the clients, so they want to work hard and achieve higher goals for themselves. This may require some outside-the-box thinking, but Wilson said Eash is always in tune to the clients’ needs.

“Megan has a unique ability to adapt to a client’s needs and is able to focus on their abilities – not their disabilities,” Wilson said. “She is always positive and a joy to be around. We are so thankful to have her on our team!”

These awards also seek to raise awareness about a direct support workforce in crisis. Inadequate investments in this essential workforce have led to a decades-long severe shortage of DSPs. These challenges are on the brink of getting much worse in light of significant funding cuts to Medicaid — which funds the vast majority of services DSPs deliver — at the federal level and in many states.

“Celebrating the nation’s most outstanding direct support professionals is one of the great joys I have as a leader within the national provider community, and Megan Eash is a perfect reminder why,” said Lori Kress, president of ANCOR’s Board of Directors and chief executive officer for Dungarvin, a provider of I/DD services based in Mendota Heights, Minn. “Each of this year’s honorees exemplifies what it means to deliver supports that are truly person-centered, and each one demonstrates what it means to be a bridge between people and their communities.”

Barbara Merrill, ANCOR’s CEO, added: “Being recognized with a DSP of the Year Award is a tremendous honor every year. But this year it’s particularly significant given the enormous pool of talented professionals from which our judges had to choose. And the timing couldn’t be better, as funding cuts at the federal level and in many states mean that our nation’s direct support professionals need recognition now more than ever.”

Founded in 1974, Network of Community Options, Inc. provides comprehensive support and services to people with intellectual, and developmental disabilities in 23 counties in Arkansas: Baxter, Clay, Cleburne, Craighead, Faulkner, Fulton, Garland, Greene, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Lawrence, Lonoke, Marion, Poinsett, Pope, Pulaski, Randolph, Sharp, Stone, Van Buren, White and Woodruff.

Eash and NCO clients at a recent conference